From August 19 to 23, 2024, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Rodolfo Venegas from the Universidad Austral de Chile to our Institute. Dr. Venegas is a distinguished scientist specializing in the propagation and absorption of sound waves in porous materials, as well as acoustic metamaterials. He has been collaborating with IPPT PAN since 2020, focusing on research in composites and acoustic metamaterials. Dr. Venegas’s research partner in Poland is Dr hab. eng. Tomasz G. Zieliński, a professor at IPPT PAN, head of the vibroacoustics team in the Department of Intelligent Technologies.
Joint research of both scientists involves developing theoretical acoustic models using homogenization techniques, as well as designing and producing new material prototypes, which are then experimentally tested. One example of their work is the study of the propagation and absorption of acoustic waves in porous materials, particularly those with hierarchical porosity. They are also working on the development of metamaterials with detachable pore networks, which can be connected through elastic membranes in the targeted waveband.
Dr. Venegas is also the co-founder of Carbon Air Ltd., where he served as Technical Director. His career spans various fields of acoustics research, including materials acoustics, architectural acoustics, metrology, and psychoacoustics. Through collaborations with research centers worldwide, he has published over 60 scientific articles and contributed to the development of four patents.
Since the beginning of his collaboration, Dr. Venegas and Prof. Zieliński have co-published several articles in prestigious journals, including the Journal of Sound and Vibration, Applied Acoustics, Composites Part B, and Physics of Fluids. Their research on porous materials and acoustic metamaterials is driven by innovative ideas, such as using 3D printing to produce acoustic materials. “Our work on the homogenization of porous piezoelectric media and permeo-elastic media with pore networks of varying tortuosity goes far beyond standard research on porous materials,” comments Prof. Zieliński. “We are currently testing further samples of the materials we designed, made using 3D printing technology, which fosters the development of innovative solutions”.
In February 2024, Dr. hab. Zieliński conducted a seminar in Valdivia, Chile, where he presented research on 3D-printed acoustic materials, focusing on the challenges of their designing and modeling. “3D-printed acoustic materials have imperfections characteristic of additive manufacturing technologies, but we can use these flaws to design more efficient solutions,” he said during the presentation.
Dr. Venegas’s visit to IPPT PAN marked the next step in developing a collaborative effort, focusing on areas such as modeling challenges related to 3D-printed nanofibers and research on the homogenization of thermo-poro-elastic and poro-piezoelectric media.
“My visit to IPPT PAN has been an extremely valuable experience, allowing us to further our joint work on the acoustics of complex materials. I greatly appreciate my direct collaboration with Dr. Zieliński and hope for more opportunities to continue working together.” Dr. Rodolfo Venegas said at the end of his visit.
The collaboration between both scientists holds great potential to contribute to the development of innovative solutions in the field of acoustic materials and metamaterials.
